by Tara Johnson "Great musicians should have only the finest instruments in their homes." The caustic comment from the piano tuner who had curled up his nose at my old spinet piano has bothered me for fourteen years, though I've had a hard time figuring out why. I thought maybe it was the man's attitude when he entered my home. I had been desperately searching for a tuner willing to take on my pawn shop find but from the moment this guy laid eyes on it, his annoyed smirk told me the piano didn't meet his criteria. Maybe it was…

by Tara Johnson Ministry is difficult and no one knows this better than the pastor's wife. In Part 1, we looked at the God-given talents that make each pastor's wife unique as well as some of the unrealistic and often damaging expectations that pastor's wives have placed on their shoulders, whether by church members or themselves. To refresh, some of these expectations are: Their children should be perfect. They know what to do and say in every situation. They feel comfortable leading a class or taking on leadership roles. Someone can criticize them, their husband or children and it won't…

by Tara Johnson In the course of a person's life, there are a handful of books that leave an indelible impression on their heart, forever stamping them as changed. For me, these books consist of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, Embracing Obscurity along with a small, elite group of others I'll not mention here. Being a writer, I've read many books, most of them consisting of entertaining stories and sweet lessons learned. Good reads but not life-changing. That is, until I picked up a copy of Hiding in the Light by Rafqa Bary. I happened to see a…

by Tara Johnson People are messy and since ministry is all about serving people, ministry is often messy. Forget all the romantic notions you've heard about the glories of serving 'in the  Lord's trenches'. Is it victorious? Sometimes. Is it exhausting? Overwhelmingly so. Is it worth it? Absolutely. But it's hard work...an uphill climb that will entail the enemy attacking God's people whenever he can. People often mention the need to pray for their pastor, the need to encourage him but they often forget to mention someone who works side by side with the pastor. Someone who is often overlooked...the…

by Tara Johnson Recently, my oldest daughter was waxing poetic about the difference between our wants and needs and she prompted an interesting discussion. Bethany, in all her child-like wisdom said, "Mom, did you know our wants are not our needs?" "Yes, I seem to remember hearing something about that." I smiled and tugged her blonde hair with affection. "So what does God give us that we really need?" "Jesus, shelter, food, water, clothes and shoes." My youngest daughter piped in. "And a mailbox." Turning to her little sister with a flicker of annoyance born of sisterly irritation, Bethany asked…

by Tara Johnson When planning a wedding, expect that something on your big day will go wrong. After all, that's the advice everyone gave me when I was planning mine. I, however, wasn't prepared for the fact that everything would go wrong. Instead of white lace and rice, the wedding resembled more of a scene from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. May 31, 1997 arrived. Our wedding day and despite everyone's continual advice to expect a hitch somewhere in the program, I was determined our day would be memorable. Boy, was it memorable. Our two year old ring bearer who…